Southeast survives Poland’s bid for a buzzer-beater
By DAN HINER
POLAND
With 10 seconds left, the Poland girls basketball team inbounded the ball and fought to get it beyond the half-court line. With the clock running down, Bulldogs junior Bella Gajdos attempted a 3-pointer from the right wing.
But the shot was partially blocked and the buzzer sounded before the Bulldogs came down with an offensive rebound.
Poland lost 72-71 in its Division II sectional final against Southeast on Thursday night.
Third-seeded Poland (19-4) overcame a 30-19 deficit in the second quarter, and eventually tied the game at 41 at halftime.
Poland senior Jillian Penman said the team was “almost too excited” in the first half. She said head coach Nick Blanch was trying to calm the players down throughout the game.
“I think he just wanted us to relax, take it over and pull away. Unfortunately, it just did not go our way this time,” Penman said. “There were some nerves. It was probably one of the most exciting games we’ve had so far.”
But fifth-seeded Southeast (20-2) consistently changed its tempo to create mismatches. Southeast’s Danielle Norquest created fast-break chances and finished with a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds.
The Bulldogs held onto a slim lead until the final minute of the fourth quarter. With 1:13 remaining, Southeast’s Shelby Morchea converted on a five-footer from the left side to give the Pirates a 70-69 lead.
Sarah Bury converted a layup with 54 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 71-70 lead, but Norquest responded with a layup of her own for the go-ahead basket with 36 seconds left.
Poland senior Emily Melnek said the plan was to cut off lanes and prevent Norquest from driving to the basket, but the change in tempo caused a problem.
“We felt like they were always gonna drive. [Norquest] is gonna try to drive,” Melnek said. “We tried to stop her but unfortunately she just kept driving in and we couldn’t get the rebounds.”
Bury scored a game-high 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three steals. Poland junior Maggie Sebest was second on the team in scoring with 12 points and had eight rebounds.
Bury said her success was due to the team’s effort and everyone wanted to play well for the seniors on the roster.
“The team’s motivation to go out there was for these four seniors. We wanted to go out there and play our hardest for these for seniors because they gave us a great experience here.”
Penman scored eight points and led the Bulldogs with 10 rebounds.
Bury said the game “felt like it’s going 100 miles-per-hour” and the team can learn from the loss and prepare itself for next season.
“It’s a great learning experience,” Bury said. “Those close games make you so much better whether you like it or not. Later on, these girls that are juniors this year and sophomores this year, we know. We’ve been through this game and we know to execute and do better the next time.”
Despite the loss, Melnek said the senior class is excited for the underclassmen. She said the team will be successful if players like Bury continue to develop.
“I think we have a great program here, and leaving it is going to be very hard for me and my fellow seniors,” Melnek said. “But I know everyone below me has a great, bright future ahead of them because we’re all a family.”
Southeast will face second-seeded Howland in a district semifinal at 7:45 p.m. Monday at Austintown Fitch High School.